Ki Ora ( hello in Mauri!) Hope everyone is well. So managed to survive our Canyon swing - it was so much fun and got dvd of both of our jumps which is cool. Such an adrenalin rush and even though it is over fairly quickley we still were buzzin afterwards for ages! Cause the weather still wasnt any better for snowboarding we headed off Milford Sound, a beautiful area with stunning views. Bit of a hairy drive there as the weather was very windy and on some of the thin, windy, 100m drop off ledges we drove across was a bit scary but still good fun! Honestly couldnt believe how powerful the wind actually was white knuckles on the steering wheels the whole 4 hours! Once we arrived still really low clouds but it was still really beautiful, the drive was amazing. Almost like a rainforest, very green and so many waterfalls and if we hadnt had all the bloody rain we wouldnt probably have seen that many so thankful for the rain in that sense! After Milford we headed off to Lake Wanaka. Arrived late at night so set up in a camp site and went to bed. In the morning we went to Puzzle World - really want to take Zak he would be in heaven with all the different puzzles and illusions they have! Had such a giggle there, attempted to do the maze but only found 3 out of 4 points and gave up as it was not fun anymore just really annoying! We then set off in the pouring, literally had to laugh at how heavy the rain has been, rain to the glaciers. Fairly long drive but luckily even when we are doing like 6-7 hours or whatever it doesnt feel like we are cause we can share the driving between us. Again beatiful drive through all the hills and mountains. Even managed to catch a heard of cows that were being moved and it was actually a bit scary with all the cows looking at us and the walked passed! Arrived in Franz Josef in the eveing, weather still s*** but it was meant to be clearing up within a couple of days so we planned to wait until it did before we climbed the glacier as we didnt fancy it in the pouring rain! The next morning when we woke up the sun was actually out and there wasnt any rain so we decided to book on a trip for that afternoon - so pleased we did becuase the next day it pissed down again! Climbing Franz Josef was really amazing, although quite hard work on the old legs! We did a 1/2 day tour which was just right for us. We did it with about 8 other people. From the car park it didnt look that big but it was 2.5km away from us. Took us just under an hour to walk up to it and once there I did have serious doubts that I would be able to do it! We had spikes that we attached to our very attrctive boots which we had to put all our faith in to keep us on the ice! The climb up was hard but still really fun and the whole journey up was amazing - you literally feel like you are in an ice cube! We made good use of our hats to keep us warm. As you can see from Mel's site we took lots of piccies! They really dont do it justice though, some parts of the glacier were so blue and others crystal clear. We then made our decent back down the same track. Such a cool day although by the time we was home my thighs were really feeling it! We spent the evening in fron of the telly with a few beers chatting with other people staying in the camp site etc.. The next morning we set off up the west coast again. Once again it poured with rain although wasnt windy anymore which we were both thankful of. We planned to stop off at various places to do walks and take in the views but cause of the low cloud - literally driving through it - and the heavy rain we took the views that we had in through our van! So we arriaved at Aurther's Pass the scenic route back to Christchurch earlier than expected and so back in Christchurch earlier than we thought. So Mel gave Ian and Chrissie a buzz to check they didnt mind us staying at their house again, which they didnt. We spent the evening at the Cinema and watched Silent Hill which was pretty good - quite scary though, Laura & Laura dont watch it! And then spent the evening chatting with Ian and Chrissie who once again were very welcoming and lovely. So that brings you up to date as to where we are now! Tonight we are going round to meet the rest of Mel's long lost rellies and go out for dinner so look forward to that. Will update soon and should have some photos of Ian and Chrissie etc. Lots and lots and lots of love as always, Miss you all lots, Big big hugs and kisses Gem xxxx